


ever after

by thilesluna



Series: Dad Magnus and his Good Good Son [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Found family fic, Gen, Post canon, but i did know that everyone ended up happy, like i didn't know SO MUCh, mostly bc i wrote the first parts before the finale???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 06:49:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11938596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thilesluna/pseuds/thilesluna
Summary: Angus decides it's time for college and Magnus realizes what he wants to do with all his new and improved free time.(I would suggest reading the other parts in the series but you don't HAVE to, just read the cliffnotes in the beginning if you wanna skip the other parts)





	ever after

**Author's Note:**

> So I started this verse with Chocolate and Vanilla forever ago and like, had no idea what the finale was going to be like. There's a lot of stuff that's different, mainly: Lup didn't come out of the umbrella during the battle, Fisher and Junior didn't broadcast their shit, there weren't any sick-ass magical schools.
> 
> in this timeline, basically what happened was:
> 
> -i didn't feel like guessing at and writing how they beat the hunger because i'm lazy  
> -magnus adopted angus and they lived together and traveled together  
> -they killed kaylen  
> -angus had a good childhood and magnus learned how to be a good dad  
> -taako gave the umbrastaff to barry because he kept hearing Lup's voice and it hurt him too much but really it wad Lup yelling at him and swearing and calling him dumb for not letting her out
> 
> also this is unbeta'd so sorry.

It’s the fall of the year when Angus turns seventeen that he decides to go back to school. They both realize it’s time and Magnus thinks that it might be time for him to set down some roots as well. The place he picks makes Angus nervous. He’s worried about what it might mean or how it will affect Magnus while he’s there on his own for so many months, but the man is stubborn—more so now than he ever was when he was younger—and brushes off Angus’s concerns.

 

It takes them two months of hard work to build the house in Raven’s Roost.

 

The city, long deserted, is big and empty in a way that makes Angus shiver. He supposes that it doesn’t help that the last time they were here, they killed Kaylen. To Magnus, he was just a man who threatened his boy but Angus knows what the man’s death really meant. He powers through his misgivings of the place as he watches Magnus slowly plan and build their house up from the ground and watches the way Magnus smiles as the sun rises over the horizon and says quietly, “Just as beautiful as it ever was, Ango.”

 

The house is small: two bedrooms, a bathroom, a small living room with a fireplace, and a kitchen that doubles as a dining room. There’s a week left before Angus leaves for his first semester at school and they’re finally done. They nail the last shingle on the roof and then step back to admire their work. Magnus stands outside, arm thrown over Angus’s shoulder (they’re the same height now, almost, something that Magnus can’t stop talking about—“Remember when we met, Ango? Remember how _tiny_ you were?” no matter how Angus protests (he was a pretty tall 10-year-old, thank you very much)) and sighs, a sound that makes the boy’s chest feel full and warm.

 

“It looks good,” Angus says finally. He watches the gentle curl of smoke coming from the fire in the living room. (It’s too warm for a fire yet, he thinks, but Magnus had insisted. “For the aesthetic, Angus. It’s what Taako would want.”)

 

Magnus scratches at the back of his neck. “It’s small,” he says, almost like he’s self-conscious of it all of a sudden. “I mean, it’s not big and fancy like Taako’s place but—”

 

“It’s _perfect_ ,” Angus interrupts. “It’s—I don’t know. I think it suits us.” And it does, is the thing. It’s perfect in it’s imperfections. Angus is no master craftsman like Magnus and he had done a lot of work so some things might be off, but he thinks that maybe they’re just like the imperfections the both of them have. The places that a slightly crooked are like Angus’s teeth that never did grow in super straight. There are scars in the wood from careless hammers that remind him of the ones of Magnus’s skin. “If it was like Taako’s or Merle’s, it wouldn’t be ours.”

 

“You’re too smart, you know that kid?” Magnus says, wiping at his eyes and sniffing. He pulls Angus in all the way for a huge hug. “I’m gonna miss you, Ango. No one’s gonna be here to talk some sense into me.”

 

Angus laughs, squeezing Magnus tight. “I’m just gonna be a call away, Magnus. Make sure you don’t forget that before you rush in to do anything dumb.”

 

“No promises, buddy,” Magnus answers before pressing a kiss into Angus’s hair. He squeezes Angus one last time before letting go and pushing him toward the front door. “Come on, let’s get some dinner and then talk about what you’re going to need for the fancy college you’re going to.”

 

\--------

 

He’s only gone two months when Magnus calls him up, voice giddy and excited, to tell him that he’s finally figured out what he’s going to do. “Think of it, Ango! Dogs!”

 

Angus closes his arithmetic book and rubs at the bridge of his nose. “What about dogs, Magnus? Just dogs in general or…?”

 

Magnus laughs a full-bodied thing that makes Angus ache a little because he can’t see the way Magnus’s eyes scrunch up and his nose wrinkles. “No, dummy! I’m gonna train dogs! I have a proficiency in animal handling after all!”

 

“To do what?”

 

“For, like, protection!” Magnus says. Angus can hear dishes clattering in the background and his stomach grumbles unhappily. He’s been so wrapped up in studying that he’s forgotten to get lunch again. Whoops. “I’ve already decided what kind of dog I’m going to get and I’m going to train him first. He’ll be like the prototype dog!”

 

Angus can’t help but smile. He had originally been worried that Magnus wouldn’t have anything to distract him from the memories of Raven’s Roost but it seems he needn’t have be concerned at all. Dogs have proven time and time again to be Magnus’s most efficient distraction. “That sounds great, Magnus! I can’t wait to meet him when I come home for Candlenights!”

 

The line is quiet for a moment before Magnus asks softly, “That’s the next time you’ll be back?”

 

His voice makes the ache in Angus’s chest a little bit sharper. “Magnus—“

 

“No, I get it,” the man says and Angus can hear the way he artificially brightens his voice, like he’s doing fine. “School is tough and you’re working so hard. I’m proud of you, Ango.” There’s a shuffling on the other end of the line and then Magnus lets out a groan as he sits on the creaky couch in the living room. Angus can hear it over the line. “I just miss you is all.”

 

For the first time since the day Magnus dropped him off, Angus feels his eyes sting and he has to take a second to compose himself. He’d been so busy with school and his classes that he hadn’t had time to sit down and think about how much he misses hearing Magnus sing off-key in the morning while making breakfast. Or the way Magnus ruffles his hair at the dinner table. Or how Magnus tries to be sneaky and creep into Angus’s room to make sure he’s sleeping soundly.

 

“I—I miss you too,” he says, wiping at an errant tear. He hears Magnus make a concerned noise over the line and almost laughs. “I’m okay, Magnus. It’s okay. I just—I guess being away from home caught up with me all of a sudden.”

 

“Oh Ango, I didn’t mean—“

 

Angus does laugh now. “You didn’t do anything!” He decides to give up on the math for the night and carries his stone over to his bed. Magnus chuckles at the _oof_ he lets out as he throws himself down on top of the blankets. “Now tell me more about this dog,” he says, attempting to change the subject.

 

Magnus apparently sees right through his ruse. “I love you, buddy. You know that, right?”

 

Angus swallows past another lump in his throat. “I know. I love you too,” he says softly. There’s a beat of silence before Angus coughs quietly and says, “Now about the dog…”

 

Magnus laughs again. “He’s great, Angus. I get to bring him home in a couple of weeks. I think I know the perfect name too, but you’ll have to wait until you come home to hear it.”

 

“No fair!” Angus pouts.

 

Magnus snickers. “Life’s not fair, kid. Now let me tell you about how cute he is.”

 

\-------

 

The thing is, Angus really was planning on waiting until Candlenights to go home but there’s a long weekend off from classes and he doesn’t have any on Fridays anyway, so he rents a horse from the stable down the street from the college and takes a trip back to Raven’s Roost.

 

He decides at the last minute not to tell Magnus what he’s planning. It’s not often that he gets to spring big surprises on the man and he thinks that it will be fun to do it. Magnus is always surprising him with little gifts and things and Angus kind of wants to return the favor.

 

The journey down the road to their house is quiet and uneventful. The leaves are mostly gone from the trees lining the path, but there are a few stubborn orange and red clusters clinging to the branches. Angus shivers and wraps his coat a little tighter around his body, already dreading the cold of winter. He thinks about making this trek again closer to Candlenights and decides to send a message to Lup at some point to ask for ideas on how to stay warm.

 

(She had _actually_ throttled both Barry and Taako when she escaped from the umbrastaff. It was only a couple of years ago during their annual midsummer barbeque that Barry had accidentally broken the thing in a game of fantasy whiffle ball and she came bursting out in splendid fashion, yelling at them both. Angus and Magnus—and the rest of the remaining B.o.B. had hid behind trees and under tables until the verbal—and physical—accosting was done and the twins had a chance to really reconnect (there wasn’t a dry eye in the place, not even Kravitz))

 

For now, though, the chill isn’t too bad and when he rounds the final corner, he can’t help but kick the horse to go a little faster. There’s smoke curling from the chimney and laundry out on the line and Angus feels like his chest is expanding, so happy to see his home again. He ties the horse off to a nearby tree, leaving his things behind in the saddlebags. All he wants right now is to see Magnus.

 

The door flies open before he even makes it 10 feet and out comes the biggest, gangliest looking puppy Angus has ever seen. He knows from talking to Magnus that the dog is a Scottish Deerhound and he’d done some research—because he’s still a detective at heart, honestly—but he hadn’t expected the thing to be so big already. The dog barks and wiggles, throwing himself at Angus in an exuberant greeting and he catches it’s front paws in his hands on reflex. The dog cranes his neck and licks at every piece of Angus that he can reach.

 

Angus only has a minute to bask in it before he hears a sharp inhale and he looks up to see Magnus staring at him from where he stands in the doorway. “Angus?”

 

The boy smiles sheepishly. “I wanted—uh, surprise? I guess?” he says, shrugging his shoulders. He releases the dog’s paws and rubs at the back of his neck. “I probably should have called but—“

 

Magnus closes the distance between them in a blink of an eye and the next thing Angus knows, he’s being swept up into a giant bear hug as the puppy dances around their feet, jumping and licking at them. He throws his arms over Magnus’s shoulders and buries his face in the warm fabric of the man’s sweater. Magnus squeezes him tight and laughs. “I can’t believe you’re here, kid.” He sets Angus back down onto the ground, resting his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “I missed you so much.”

 

Angus swallows thickly, absent-mindedly running a hand through his hair and grinning so wide his face starts to hurt. “I missed you too, Magnus. Like a crazy amount.”

 

They stand like that just for another moment, each on drinking the other in after a months apart until the puppy stands with his paws up on Magnus. He whines a pitiful sound that makes Angus laugh even as he reaches down to stroke his ears. Magnus just rolls his eyes. “Needy little shit, this one is,” he says, even as he scoops the dog up into his arms. Even against the giant bulk that is Magnus, the puppy looks huge.

 

“Can’t imagine where he got that from,” Angus says with a laugh.

 

Magnus makes an affronted noise. “Apparently going off to college made you into a rude child.”

 

“Yeah,” Angus says as they make their way to the front door. “I have a whole class just on how to be an asshole to my parental figure. I’m like, the top of my year.”

  
Magnus laughs, shifting the puppy so he can ruffle Angus’s hair. “Not surprised in the least, little man. Not that you need college for that. I could have just sent you to live with Taako.”

 

“Or Lup,” Angus supplies. “Imagine me learning magic from Lup.”

 

Magnus fake shudders. “I can’t even fathom it.” The puppy wiggles and wiggles until Magnus finally relents and sets him back down on the ground. The dog immediately takes off after a windswept leaf and Magnus rolls his eyes. “Silly little thing.”

 

“Hey!” Angus says, suddenly. “You can finally tell me what you named him!”

 

Magnus watches the puppy dance around, still chasing the blowing leaves. He smiles and Angus is surprised to see that it’s a little bit sad. “Johann,” he says, finally.

 

“Oh,” Angus breathes. He wasn’t—of all the things he was expecting, _Johann_ wasn’t one. He almost wants to chide himself for not thinking of the bard in such a long time, especially after everything that happened but he knows that it wouldn’t do any good. Instead, he bumps his shoulder against Magnus’s and smiles. “That’s a great name, Magnus.”

 

“I promised I’d never let people forget him,” he says. “I don’t know how any of the voidfish stuff works but maybe some day everyone will hear his music like we did on the conservatory planet.” He whistles, high and sharp and Johann’s head jerks up. The dog sprints toward them, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, his lips pulled back into a doggy grin. “This will have to do for now, I guess,” Magnus says.

 

Angus kneels down and catches the dog as it sprints into him. It knocks him back and onto his butt and he hears Magnus huff out a laugh. Angus grins up at him from the ground, letting Johann cover his face in sloppy kisses. “It’s perfect,” he says, turning back to the dog and catching his face between his hands.

 

He brings his forehead to the puppy’s and closes his eyes, breathing in the smells around him. He can make out the faint scent of pine from the living room where he’s sure there’s unfinished carvings, he can smell dinner halfway started on the stove, chicken and garlic and rosemary swirling together. The dog pants in front of him, straining against his grip and trying to cover his face with more kisses.

 

Angus looks up at Magnus again, sees the man smiling down at him fondly, and revels in the feeling of being _home_.

**Author's Note:**

> i love dadnus
> 
> (come yell at me on tumblr about these good good boys @geargieee)


End file.
